GHANA – GIHOC Distilleries Company Limited, the Ghanaian state-owned manufacturer of distilled and alcoholic beverage brands has initiated plans of reviving the government owned glass manufacturing company, Aboso Glass Factory.

According to reports by Ghana Web, the management of the alcohol company led by the Managing Director, Mr. Maxwell Kofi Jumah paid a visit to the premises located in Western region of Ghana to assess its current condition and formulate a way forward of its rehabilitation.

“The GIHOC delegation were satisfied with the assessment after the visit and would soon roll out a road map towards a major facelift of the Glass Factory,” said Media Relations Manager of GIHOC, Afua Foriwaa Boafoh.

The Aboso Glass Factory constructed at a cost of Ghana Cedis 9 million was commissioned by the government in 1966.

The factory which was once a vibrant company manufacturing and supplying glasses and bottles for the beverage industry in the country has been dormant for many years after its collapse due to lack of machinery, capital and poor management.

At its peak, it had a yearly output of 18 million bottles, 2 million units of tableware and 8 to 10 million square feet of sheet glass and louvre glass. The company was employing about 500 workers.

GIHOC was one of its customers, purchasing bottles for its top liquor brands including Castle Bridge, Kaiser, Schnapps amongst others.

Aboso was also serving companies such as Coca-Cola and Guinness as it was one of the leading glass and bottle maker in West Africa.

“The GIHOC delegation were satisfied with the assessment after the visit and would soon roll out a road map towards a major facelift of the Glass Factory.”

Media Relations – Manager of GIHOC, Afua Foriwaa Boafoh

GIHOC seeks to pump life into the establishment in a bid to reduce on its capital expenditure utilized in importing the crucial raw materials from abroad.

“GIHOC will cease from importing glasses and bottles and get them locally produced right here in Ghana as the main source of raw materials to boost the supply chain.

“There is a huge market potential for the glass bottle industry in West Africa particularly Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and the Ivory Coast,”Afua Foriwaa Boafoh further revealed.

On his part Mr. Maxwell stated, “It is our expectation to rehabilitate the factory and start actual production within some few months to come.”

GIHOC Distilleries being an innovate company, switched to the use of natural fruit alcohol extracts for the production of its alcoholic beverages last year, capitalize on the abundance of fruit variety in the country.

The company is the first modern distillery to be established in West Africa under the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) of 1958.

It has over the years perfected the art of distillation, refinery, blending and manufacturing of various types of both alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

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